Elsevier

Physics Letters B

Volume 136, Issue 4, 8 March 1984, Pages 232-236
Physics Letters B

Measurement of the lifetime and quenching rate of metastable 2S muonic helium ions

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Abstract

The lifetime of the 2S state in (μ−4He)+ ions has been measured at He-gas pressures between 50 Torr and 6 atm (T=300 K). We observed both X-rays from the two-photon 2S→1S transitions as well as delayed Kα X-rays associated with radiative quenching. The quenching rate is strongly pressure dependent; it is predominantly a quadratic function of pressure with a measured three-body rate coefficient k=(5.9±0.8)×10−32 cm6/s. At 6 atm, we find τ2S<250 ns because of the absence of two-photon transitions.

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This work is supported by SIN and by the Schweizerische Nationalfonds.

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